Reunion
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Raven goes to Boston for work and reunites with old friends, and maybe a new love. Carey/Raven. For Lodylodylody.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For Lodylodylody, who wanted to see Carey have a successful romance for once, I hope this cheers you up! This fic works under the assumption that Carey and Raven have already met, Disney did a crossover a few years ago and called it the 'That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana' I believe, so I took that and ran with it.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, Suite Life on Deck, That's So Raven, or Hannah Montana, nor do I own any of the characters therein. I'm not sure what I'd do with them if I did have them considering I don't watch any of those shows.

Warning: This story contains femslash, like every other story I've ever posted on this site. If that offends you or is illegal where you live, then I feel deeply sorry for you and hope things will be better in your future.

A/N2: Ages: I'm guessing here, but I'm going to say that Carey had the twins at about 20 years old, and they're about 9 years younger than Raven, which makes Carey 11 years older than Raven in this fic. I'm making Raven 28, which puts Carey at 39 and the twins at 19 (not that they matter, they won't really factor into this fic at all).

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Raven Baxter was a busy woman. She'd been busy for the last several years having started her own fashion line shortly after she'd graduated. Sure, she'd worked as an intern for some of the bigger names in fashion, but striking out on her own had been the best move she could have ever made. She'd been very successful almost from the start for her bold innovative designs made to suit all walks of life. Raven's goal in life was to make everyone look fabulous, which would make them feel fabulous.

Spreading fabulous to the masses was not an easy job, and often it required she travel to places far and wide for inspiration. Her main studio was in Washington, D.C., near where her dad worked as head chef to the President, but she had several smaller studios all over the world, including several within the United States. Unfortunately she did not yet have a studio in Boston, where she happened to be at the moment, but she did have a long standing relationship with one of the world's most successful luxury hotel chains, The Tipton Hotels.

As a teenager she'd been sent to the Tipton for reasons she no longer clearly remembered, but she remembered all the people she'd met there. Including London Tipton, heiress to the Tipton fortune; Hannah Montana, aka Miley, the world's most beloved pop star; Moseby, the hotel manager; Maddie, the candy counter girl, now a graduate student; Zach and Cody, the most mischief prone twins she'd ever met; and Carey, mother to the twins. She'd kept in touch with each of them as her schedule permitted. She replied to their emails and messages as soon as she was able, which was how she'd known all but Maddie and Carey had gone off on a luxury cruise ship meant to branch out the Tipton's prospects. She'd answered their excited emails while they were at sea, she felt a little jealous that they were having so much fun while she was working to build her line, but not anywhere near as jealous as Maddie felt (_all _of her best friends had gone on that cruise, leaving her behind to go to school). She remembered their excitement when the ship finally docked, too, anxious to return to their lives on land; and Carey's happy email about her boys finally coming home.

Raven had only seen London and Hannah since they'd all been at the Tipton. London was always visiting her stores, purchasing just about everything in her size. Hannah had asked Raven to design several of her event outfits, which required them to see each other pretty regularly. But she missed all the others. She enjoyed keeping in touch through email and phone, but it wasn't the same as seeing them in person, so she was glad to be in Boston again and able to once again visit the Tipton, where she'd made so many friends.

Only Moseby knew she was coming, so her arrival at the hotel should be a surprise to all the others there.

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Carey Martin was in the middle of rehearsing her new act when her 19 year old sons, Zach and Cody, burst into the lounge shouting at the top of their voices.

"Mom!" Zach and Cody shouted at the same time so Carey got it in stereo. "Mom, you'll never guess who just walked in!" They continued, still in stereo.

"Who?" The boys didn't often get this excited, usually only their father got this type of response from them.

While Zach would have waited for her to guess correctly, Cody couldn't contain his excitement as he rushed to inform her, "Raven Baxter! She's here! She just checked in!"

Carey felt happiness and excitement well within her. She didn't have many friends outside of the hotel, Raven was one of them, and one Carey treasured. The young woman had a refreshing take charge attitude and a drive to make others happy with her fashion. She was one of the very few female people Carey got to talk to on anything resembling a regular basis.

She cut her rehearsal short, knowing she had a couple of days to get this act together. She rushed out into the lobby and saw Raven hopping about with a giddy London. The heiress was talking a mile a minute, with Raven talking right there with her, it was a wonder either of them heard what the other said…Carey couldn't make out a word. When they calmed Raven spotted Carey over London's shoulder and immediately rushed over to crush her in a hug saying, "Giiiiiiiiirl, it is _so _good to see you!"

Carey was nearly bursting with joy as she squeezed Raven back smiling hugely, "Raven! Oh, how are you, sweetie? What are you doing here?"

Raven pulled back and said, "I'm better now that all my peeps are here! I've got business in town. I've had an agent of mine looking for studios in the city so I could set up shop here, he thinks he's found one I just have to have. So here I am! How are you, beautiful? It's been too long since we talked."

"It has, you flatterer. I'm good. I've got a new act in the works and the boys are getting ready for college. Oh gosh, it is so good to have you here!" She gave Raven one more squeeze before releasing her completely.

Raven didn't let her get too far away; she grabbed Carey's hand and kept a hold of it while walking back towards the front desk. "You're sticking with me. We've got a lot to catch up on, and you can show me all that's changed around here. It's been a while since I've been in this town. That and I've got to outfit you for that new act!"

After a token protest Carey was only too happy to oblige, allowing Raven to drag her hither and yon for the rest of the day, until they were both too tired to do anything but collapse on the sofa in Raven's suite.

"Oh man," Raven sighed out, "It's been so long since I've had a girls' day. Thank you for coming with me today and showing me around again."

Carey smiled at the younger woman, "It was my pleasure. It's been nearly twenty years since I've had a real girls' day. Not since the boys were born. This was so much fun."

Raven smiled back, "Well, I'd be all too happy to have a few more girls' days with you. Goodness knows we need them."

"Careful Raven, I might take you up on that offer." Carey laughed.

Raven laughed with her and replied, "Please do. I'd love to hang out with you more often. If this studio thing pans out I'll be in Boston almost full time. It'd be nice to have some friends who knew me before I was a famous designer." Raven was only half teasing at that last part. She had a handful of friends who knew her before she was famous, including her best friends Chelsea and Eddie, but she had dozens of people called 'friends' that she'd made since becoming famous that only contacted her when they wanted something from her, it was very tiresome.

"I'd be happy to be one of those friends. I could use some more female friends around here anyway. Maddie and London are all I've got. Maddie's always so busy and London, as sweet as she is, just isn't a very good conversationalist when we aren't talking about her." Carey loved both of those girls dearly, but she needed something more that neither of them could provide, and she had hopes that Raven could.

"Good. I'll keep you." Raven decided to tease the older woman a little, "Of course, you know this means I'm going to drag you out shopping at every opportunity and that you'll be my guinea pig when I get new fashion ideas."

"Of course." Carey said mock seriously, "I'll take my duties very seriously. I know shopping is serious business, as is being your model."

Raven hadn't thought Carey would be her model, but now that the idea was planted it was growing fast. Before she could slow her mind she'd already mapped out six different designs to try on her friend, and she enjoyed the mental picture each one made. She could imagine her in various dresses, in jackets and pants, pants and blouses, blouses and skirts, without jackets, in shorts, in short skirts, it wasn't long before Carey was stripped down to her underwear and Raven had to mentally shake herself before she started drooling. She'd known as a teen that she found Carey attractive, but she didn't usually let her mind wander so far. She supposed having the older woman sitting right in front of her saying she'd model for her was giving her mind a little too much leeway. She quickly picked up the thread of their conversation and said, "Darn straight it's serious business. It's my business and I'm full of ideas so you're going to have you're hands full keeping up with me."

Carey laughed. "I don't doubt it. I've followed your career. You practically exploded onto the scene when you started and have been keeping everyone else on their toes since! People still rave about how unexpected you were. I knew you'd be something special when I met you, but I had _no_ idea."

Flattered, Raven blushed and said, "Well, I didn't know I'd be so special either."

Charmed by Raven's sudden modesty Carey decided to give the younger woman a break. "It's getting late. I should probably go and let you rest." She rose to leave the room and Raven stood to walk her to the door.

"It's later than I thought it was. Maybe I'm the one who'll have to work hard to keep up with you. Chasing after the boys all these years must have given you some extra endurance." She smiled when Carey chuckled and agreed.

Carey was halfway out the door when Raven caught her arm and said, "I had fun today. Thanks for sticking with me." Then she rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed Carey's cheek. She didn't pull away immediately, allowing herself to linger in the older woman's presence, wishing she were brave enough to just kiss Carey like she wanted to.

Carey, who was unused to giving or receiving affection of this type, decided to take some initiative and turned her head intending to kiss Raven's cheek and instead landed a solid yet gentle kiss on the designer's waiting and eager lips.

It was soft. Surprisingly so. Raven's lips were silky smooth with gloss, mocha flavored, and so warm. Carey had never kissed lips so smooth, considering she'd only ever kissed men this wasn't such a surprise, but even so the feel of such tender lips stole her breath away and made her heart race.

She pulled back slowly, lips clinging to the gloss, confused about what had happened and how it made her feel. Never before had she kissed another woman. She'd been hit on, sure, many times. She was a lounge singer, getting hit on was practically part of the job. But she'd never taken any woman up on her offer; she'd never even considered it really. She was straight, had always been straight, and would always be straight. Or so she'd thought. But this kiss, an accident, with this woman had sparked something in her and she wasn't sure what to do with all these new feelings and thoughts. So, in the time honored tradition of all people who feel in over their heads, Carey panicked and fled calling a goodnight over her shoulder.

Raven thought briefly of chasing after the older woman, to calm her down, to explain things, to talk it all out, to plead her case, to _something_ but she didn't know what she could say to make this better and until she _did_ know she would have to leave Carey to her own devices. She couldn't bring herself to regret moving to capture lips at the last moment, she regretted the turmoil it had obviously caused her friend, but the kiss itself had been perfect. It had been everything she'd ever hoped for in a kiss, everything she'd dreamed of. For her it had been like a movie kiss complete with spinning cameras and swelling orchestra; it had felt like something had finally slid into place within her making her more solid, more real than she'd been before. And though she hadn't had a vision about this, hadn't had a vision in years, she felt as though with that kiss she had seen one of her visions come to life and complete itself the way it was meant to.

Raven went to her bed smiling. She had finally gotten a kiss she'd dreamed of for ten years, and it was even better than she'd imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

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The next day Raven woke up smiling. She'd just had one of her favorite dreams, one in which she and Carey were together, only this time it didn't leave her with a sad ache in her chest reminding her of what she could never have. It left her happy and full of hope for what may be.

She threw the covers off herself and practically danced through her morning routine reliving that kiss every few moments and finding new ways to enjoy it every time. She was in the middle of electric sliding her way to her suitcase when her cell phone rang loudly from the coffee table, so she switched directions and electric slid her way to her phone.

"Hello, hello, you've reached Raven Baxter, fashionista extraordinaire, speak your piece."

A voice as familiar to Raven as her own sounded over the line, "Wow, Ray, you're in a good mood."

"Chels! Oh shoot, I forgot to call you when I got to Boston. I'm sorry, I got distracted."

Chelsea wryly replied, "I can see that."

A confused Raven asked, "What? How can you see that all the way back in San Fran?"

"It's all over the gossip sites, Ray. Listen to this: 'Raven Baxter, owner and top designer of the Raven's Visions clothing line, seen in Boston shopping and dining with an attractive older woman. Does the designer have a new squeeze? We think so. They were seen entering the Tipton Hotel together late last night and not seen leaving. How was breakfast in bed ladies? We hear the Tipton does excellent French toast.'" Chelsea abruptly ended her reading to ask, "Did you get a new girlfriend and not tell me about her?"

Not thrown by the question Raven replied, "No, Chels, that's not it at all. You remember Carey?"

"The Carey you've been talking to and about for the last ten years? The one you've had this monster crush on? That one?" Raven could practically see Chelsea's eyebrows rising; she had seen the face that accompanied that tone of voice many times.

"Yeah. That's her. She's the one I was out with yesterday, but it was just as friends! Well, except for that kiss…" She trailed off into the happy memory before Chelsea broke through it.

"Kiss? Kiss?!" Chelsea's voice took on a slightly hysterical edge as she accused, "You said it was just as friends!"

"It was! It's just, she was going to kiss my cheek goodnight but I turned my head and BAM! Lip-to-lip contact. And oh man, Chels, it was amazing."

"So when you said just friends, what you _meant_ to say was you were romancing her all day," Chelsea teased.

Raven laughed, "No, it really was just us catching up together. But I couldn't help myself. I've wanted her for so long, and she was right there, so close, and I…I think I really freaked her out Chels."

Chelsea did not miss the note of worry creeping into her friend's voice. "Alright, Ray, talk to me."

So Raven started talking and a long while later she finished by saying, "And then she just ran off."

"Well, it sounds like she was just surprised. Give her a little while, she'll come around." Chelsea tried to be as supportive as she could, knowing her friend needed someone to tether her to earth before she freaked out.

But Raven was having none of it, "I've seen that look in girls' eyes before Chels. It's the same look you got when I first kissed you. That deer-in-the-headlights look, otherwise known as the what-the-hell-have-I-done face."

"Well, excuse me for being a little surprised when my BFF decides to come out to me by making with the kissy face! At my parents' anniversary dinner no less." Chelsea laughed, that had been a night to remember. She'd never forget the look on her mother's face when she walked into the bathroom and found her daughter mid-lip-lock with her best friend. Chelsea had been mortified, but managed to keep a good face on for her father when she and Raven had returned to the table. Of course, the next day she'd had to have a rather awkward conversation with her mother about sexuality and appropriate times and places to express it. She hadn't even bothered to explain to her mother that she and Raven weren't actually together; her mother wouldn't have believed it anyway.

"You didn't talk to me for three weeks." Raven pointed out.

"Hey! I came around!" Chelsea defended herself, "And when I did we had a very nice eight-month long romantic relationship."

"Before we went back to being just friends." It seemed Raven was determined to bring herself down.

"Never just friends," Chelsea said softly. "Best friends, Ray, for life. Besides, we work better this way, without all the sex getting in our way."

Raven laughed. Chelsea continued, "Give her some time, Ray. She's probably just skittish. You said she told you she hadn't been in a relationship in a while. You know romances come few and far between for a single mother. She's probably never been with a woman before. I bet she's never even thought of being with a woman before now, I know I hadn't before you kissed me. Let her think about it, she'll come around, too. They almost always do when it's you they're thinking of," Chelsea couldn't resist teasing. "You know I'm always right about these things. Who's set you up with your three best relationships since my glorious self?"

Rolling her eyes Raven answered, "You have."

"Right! So trust me on this, Ray. Give her a bit of time. Do what you went to Boston to do, buy a studio. Let her come to you when she's ready. This is going to work out for you, Ray; I can feel it in my bones."

Raven laughed again, "Do your bones have any idea how long I'll have to wait?"

"Nope," Chelsea cheerfully replied, "They say you've waited ten years already, so what are a few more days by comparison?"

"Excruciating," Raven answered.

Her friend made a sound of commiseration and said, "I love you, Ray."

Smiling again, the designer replied, "Love you, too, Chels. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime. Hey! Call me when she comes around. I want first opportunity to gloat."

Raven laughed outright, happy and thankful to have a friend like Chelsea, "Sure. Bye, Chels."

She decided to take Chelsea's advice. She'd look at the local studios and wait for Carey to come to her. She had faith in Chelsea's predictions, unlike her own visions they had never steered her wrong, and there was no reason not to trust them now.


	3. Chapter 3

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Carey hadn't slept well at all.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Raven in her mind's eye as she had appeared throughout the day; laughing, smiling, telling outrageous stories, choosing outfits for them both, holding doors open, and casually touching her. She couldn't stop herself from analyzing every moment they had spent together, every touch they'd shared, and every look Raven had given, trying to find out if Raven had been seducing her or if she was just crazy. But with only her memories and half-baked theories to go on, she couldn't come up with a concrete answer. All she knew is that she had kissed Raven, however accidental, and Raven hadn't been the one to pull away.

So what did that mean? Raven hadn't pulled away. Did she want to kiss Carey? She had certainly seemed to enjoy it. Carey distinctly remembers Raven kissing back, and smiling when it was over. But Raven hadn't come after her when she'd fled…did she want Raven to come after her? Did she want Raven to want to kiss her? And if she did, what did that mean about who she was? Or rather, about who she thought she was, and who is she now if she's not who she thought she was? This was all so confusing for Carey.

She'd never had to question herself this way. She'd always known exactly who she was, and now she wasn't so sure. In high school she'd been a popular girl, well liked and confident. She'd been a singer, a rising star. Then she'd met the father of her children early in her college career and had become his wife. She'd dropped out and become a mother. Shortly after that she'd become a single mother, having released her husband so he could follow his dreams. And for so long that's who she'd been, a single mother, struggling to provide for her two young sons until she'd landed her position at the Tipton and didn't have to struggle anymore. When the boys had gone off on that cruise she'd been cast adrift, in a sense. Without her sons to mother she'd had all this time to herself, and had not known what to do with it. She'd forgotten what living for herself had felt like; she'd forgotten who she was. Her work was all she had and she threw herself into it with a vengeance. She'd become a better performer than she'd ever been. She had written songs, choreographed her act, recorded an album, she'd become one of the best lounge acts anywhere according to several travel magazines. And it had been great.

Naturally she'd wanted someone to share her success with. Since moving into the Tipton she'd embarked on several relationship attempts, including a briefly lived affair with Arwin the hotel's handyman and all around good guy, but all of them had ended in disaster. Usually the relationships started well, good first dates, seemingly common interests, but all too often the men she was with tried to pressure her into more. Sex or marriage, neither of which Carey was ready for or willing to participate in as quickly as most of the men asked for it. Once or twice she got to the point where she'd be okay with having sex only to have the man leave saying he didn't feel the relationship was going anywhere. One man, frustrated with being kept waiting, had told her that at her age she should be happy with what she could get. She'd slapped him. Hard. And she hadn't really dated since.

She'd never before considered dating a woman, though she knew many who found her attractive, regular visitors to the hotel. She'd always been with men, so she'd always turned those women down. Of course, she'd never really found women particularly attractive, or at least she hadn't until Raven had kissed her. Now she couldn't stop thinking about smoky hazel eyes, endless curves, soft skin, and a wicked grin. So maybe it wasn't women in general, but one woman in particular that she'd needed to open up possibilities.

But did she want to open up that Pandora's box? Was she willing to change from who she thought she was into who she ought to be? Was she prepared for all this attraction could mean? Could she handle her friends and family looking at her differently, thinking differently about her? Could she face what her sons might think? Was she willing to put up with all the possible heartache for something that might not work out? Maybe. Maybe she could, maybe she couldn't. Maybe she should, maybe she shouldn't.

Maybe she needed to talk to someone to get a little perspective about this whole thing. But who could she talk to? This wasn't something she could take to her sons; she wasn't ready for that awkward scene just yet. She had never really taken relationship troubles to Moseby, and she didn't really want to start with one like this. Maddie was having her own crisis after having bitten off a little more than she could chew at a sorority party with her roommate. Raven was at the center of this particular problem, so she couldn't ask her for advice. The only other person she could think of was her ex-husband, he'd been her best friend for a long time, and even though they couldn't make their marriage work they had never had trouble being friends. Kurt was the one person she could always count on to help her figure things out. She reached for her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Carey, hey! What's up babe? Did you call just to hear the sound of my voice? I know I would." Kurt chuckled at his own wit.

Without fanfare or warning Carey blurted, "I kissed a woman."

She was met with silence for a long moment before she heard laughter. "Oh, Carey, that was a good one! You had me going there for a second."

"I'm serious," she said flatly, "I kissed a woman, and I have no idea what to do about it."

"Wow, uh, wow…," he trailed off.

Carey wasn't sure if he was still on the line or not. "Kurt?"

"Sorry, sorry. Just," he swallowed, "uh…picturing you kissing another chick. Totally hot. You know, that was one of my fantasies when we were together, you hooking up with one of my female fans and letting me watch. That would have been so-"

Carey felt like crying, "That is _not_ what I called you for. I need help, advice, something!"

He must have sensed something of the desperation in her voice because he got serious, "Hey, calm down. It's not the end of the world. What sort of advice are you looking for?"

"I don't know," she groaned. "I don't know what to do about this, I mean I kissed her and I don't know what that means." Her voice had risen to plaintive wail and if Kurt didn't know she was absolutely serious he would have laughed again.

"Well," he began carefully, "why does it have to mean anything, Carey?"

"Because I don't typically go around kissing other women, Kurt," she replied caustically. "And I have no idea why I kissed her. I mean, it was sort of an accident, but still…"

"An accident?" he queried, "I think I need to hear the whole story."

Carey told him about her friendship with Raven, how it began, how it had continued and grown, how Raven had come back to Boston for work and how they'd reconnected. She told him everything and finished with, "Then I just sort of…ran off and hid in my rooms. And now I'm really confused. What should I do?" She hoped he'd have something useful to say.

He waited a moment to make sure she was really done before asking, "Did you like it?"

"Like what?"

"The kiss," he prodded, "Did you like it? Was it good?"

"God, Kurt, what does that-," he interrupted her before she got up a good head of steam.

"Just answer the question, Carey. Did you like it?"

She grudgingly answered, "Yes. It was amazing." Wonder replaced recalcitrance in her voice as she asked, "Have you ever had one of those kisses that just fills you up and makes you fly?"

On the other end of the line Kurt smiled wistfully, "The first time I kissed you," he replied.

"That's what it felt like, Kurt." Her voice was small as she admitted, "I've never felt that way before."

Carey couldn't see it, but Kurt smiled. "You want to know what I think?"

"Yes!" she answered vehemently, "It's the whole reason I called."

He chuckled, "I think you should give this girl a chance. It sounds like she could make you really happy."

She took a deep breath, "How do you know?"

"That feeling," he said, "the one where her kiss makes you fly. That's how I felt with you, it was the best time of my life, and we both know you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I say go for it."

"What about the boys? What'll they think? What do I tell them?"

"You tell them the truth." She could hear the shrug in his voice, "We've raised our boys right. They're good people. They'll be happy for you as long as you're happy, and woe betides the fool who hurts you, Carey."

Carey felt her eyes prickle with tears, overcome by how lucky she was to still have this man in her life as the father of her children and as her friend. "Thank you, Kurt. For everything."

"Anytime, Carey. And hey, if you ever feel the need to thank me again, I'd accept pictures—" She hung up before she heard the rest of that sentence, laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

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It had been three days of looking through at least a dozen studios and lofts, Raven was beginning to think it would be easier to just buy a whole building and refurbish it to suit her purposes. She proposed that idea to her agent and sent him off on another real estate search, deciding she'd look at the rest of the studios on his list while he was looking for buildings. She figured if she bought a building she could turn the lower floors into a store, while the upper floors would have a studio for her and storage for the shop. The more she thought about it, the less inclined she was to look at any of the rest of the lone studios. She didn't yet have a store location in Boston, and this was the perfect opportunity to make one. Besides, it gave her the perfect excuse to stay in town longer, to give Carey a chance to approach her.

Of course, she hadn't sat idly just waiting for Carey to decide what to do. She'd sent flowers with a card, making sure Carey knew that at the very least she wasn't upset about having been kissed, and that she was open to something more. She hadn't forced her company on Carey, knowing it would be too much. If they couldn't have a romantic relationship she didn't want to lose Carey's friendship as well. She valued Carey as a friend above all else, and she devoutly hoped that Carey knew that. So as desperate as she was for contact she held herself back, letting Carey take the lead.

Of course these past three days had been like torture to Raven, knowing Carey was only a few flights upstairs or down whenever she was in the hotel, either in her suite or the lounge, so close yet so unreachable. She was slowly driving herself crazy wondering what Carey could be thinking, what she would do if anything, wondering if she even wanted to do anything. What if Carey just never talked to her again? Raven wasn't sure she could handle that, no contact at all would be infinitely worse than before, where Raven was pining from afar but able to write and call. If Carey just stopped talking to her altogether Raven wasn't sure she'd be able to hold herself together. She'd survive, but she'd never be as happy as she could have been with Carey, she was sure of that much.

Raven had just returned to her room and kicked off her shoes when a vision took her. She saw herself sitting at a bar, sipping a frothy pink drink; she could hear music and sensed from herself feelings of contentment and happiness. She wondered at this, she'd never felt her emotions in a vision before, and she tried to look at more of the scene but it ended before she saw anymore. How strange. She hadn't had a vision in years and never one with so little action, so little to interpret. Maybe whatever power sent her these visions had finally figured out that if she didn't see enough to interpret she couldn't mess up what was supposed to happen.

She was still thinking about what that vision could mean when someone knocked on her door. She promptly forgot the vision the moment she opened the door and found a nervous Carey on the other side.

"Carey!" She was happy to see the older woman, and was about to invite Carey in when she was interrupted.

"Okay, so, I kissed you. And it was totally an accident," Carey bulldozed right on, pacing in the hallway, not seeing the brief look of hurt that flashed across Raven's face when she said accident, "but it was nice and I liked it and now I can't stop thinking about it." Raven bit her lip thinking she'd liked it, too, a lot.

Carey continued without taking a breath, "I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened. And at first I didn't know what to do, so I ran away, which was dumb because that's never worked for me before so I don't even know why I tried it. But anyway, I was thinking about it, and freaking out so I called my ex-husband and told him all about it, and after he realized it wasn't a joke he was actually pretty helpful and told me that I should just go for it. I wasn't sure but I've been thinking about this for the last three days and I'm starting to think that he was right and I should just go for it, so that's why I'm here. And now I'd really just like to kiss you again."

Raven blinked, trying to absorb all that Carey had said, but really only hearing the last sentence. She smiled brightly; Carey wanted to kiss her again. Hell, she could and would make that happen, before Carey got any more anxious and ran off again.

Raven reached out with both hands and pulled Carey's face down to her own, their lips meeting for a second time as perfect as the first. It didn't take long for things to heat up.

Raven had the presence of mind to pull Carey back into her room and close the door so no one would be getting a free show.

They collapsed on the sofa tangled in each other. Carey pulled back after a bit, panting, and a little surprised at how well she was responding to all of this. She said, "So, this is kind of sudden."

Raven, also panting a little replied, "Speak for yourself. I've had ten years to fantasize about this moment."

Carey was shocked, "You've been thinking about this since we met?!"

"Well, not since we met. But shortly after, yes. You're a very attractive woman, Carey. I couldn't help where my subconscious led me after I got back home."

"That's…actually really flattering."

Raven nodded.

"So, what exactly does this mean?"

Raven looked at Carey closely, gauging what she should say, before carefully asking, "What do you want it to mean?"

She had to think hard before she answered; knowing her answer could potentially change both their lives. "I'll be honest. I've had a few disastrous relationships, all with men. I've never even considered being with a woman until you came back here, so I have no idea what I'm doing. I just know that I don't do one night stands, so if something happens here, tonight, it's only the beginning. I'll expect a relationship that lasts beyond tonight, if that's not something you're looking for then we'd better stop now, before we go too far."

"I don't do one night stands either. I told you, I've had ten years to think about this. I want this to be the beginning of something for us. I think we could be really good together, and I'd like to give this a shot, if you're willing." Raven held Carey gently, giving her enough leeway to leave if she wanted to, hoping she'd choose to stay.

Carey looked into Raven's eyes, trying to spot any doubts or misgivings, but she couldn't find any. She ended up getting lost in Raven's beautiful eyes, finding something in their depths that she hadn't ever experienced. She didn't have a name for it, not yet, but she had the feeling that Raven would give her all the time she needed to figure out what that something was. "Okay."

"Yeah?" The hope filling her voice, her eyes, her whole being was something Raven couldn't have disguised if she'd wanted to. Carey was giving her a chance to make something of this abrupt beginning.

"Yeah. Let's give this a shot." Carey's voice was gentle, tentative but not afraid; she'd take this as far as Raven was willing to go. Maybe Raven was who she'd needed all along, and she'd just had to wait for the right time.

Raven squealed and tackled Carey, bearing them both down into the cushions of the sofa. They didn't leave the hotel room that night.

When Raven called Chelsea late the next afternoon Chelsea gloated, just like she'd promised she would and Raven couldn't even pretend to be mad at her for it; she was too happy.


	5. Chapter 5

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_Three Years Later_

Raven was sitting at the bar, sipping her drink, and listening to the lounge singer belt out another lively tune. She admired the woman's talent for engaging a crowd; all the patrons in the room were clapping and singing along with the woman, cajoling their guests to sing along with them all. She found herself singing along with the crowd, enjoying the act more as it got even livelier with the singer walking between the tables and flirting with the guests. When the act ended Raven was among the loudest clappers.

She turned back to her drink, an Italian soda, and enjoyed several minutes of peace and quiet before feeling a lithe pair of arms slip around her waist and a kiss pressed into the side of her neck. She smiled widely and said, "You were great up there, baby."

Carey chuckled warmly, "Thank you. I saw you singing along. Admit it, you kind of like the fifties stuff."

"Augh, I do. It's so catchy! Don't ever tell Eddie or my dad I said that, I'd never live it down."

"Your secret's safe with me." Carey slid onto the stool next to Raven, but kept in contact by claiming one of the designer's hands. "How was your day?"

"Great. We launched the maternity and infant lines, sales are up again, and the models loved my new designs. Thanks for your help on them," Raven leaned forward to kiss her lover, "They wouldn't have been half as good without you."

"You're welcome. And how's the baby?"

Raven's free hand immediately went to rub her extended tummy, a warm smile blooming across her face. She looked adoringly at Carey, "She's good. She was kicking up a storm earlier today when I had some music playing. Not even out of the womb and she's already taking after you."

"You kind of like that, too."

"Yeah."

"I love you, Raven."

"Love you, too."

It was then that Raven remembered a vision three years ago of herself, sitting at a bar with a frothy pink drink, happy and content, and she smiled thinking this was probably the first time she'd ever been happy to see one of her visions come to pass exactly as she'd seen it. And it only got better when Carey leaned in and kissed her.

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A/N: Well, there you go Lody. I hope it's everything you wanted it to be and more. Everybody, please leave a review!


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